


Matt's Missing

by distressedpidgeon



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: F/M, I don't ship this anymore, M/M, but some people ship it, lord help me, repost from wattpad, they liked it there so you may like it here
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 01:47:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27486781
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/distressedpidgeon/pseuds/distressedpidgeon
Summary: Matt Holt goes missing from Garrison Academy. His sister, Katie, will do whatever it takes to find him. She adopts the name "Pidge Gunderson" to find her brother at the boy only private school. She feels she's ready for anything, but is she?This is a boarding school AUMy own story, reposted from the_alpacapus on Wattpad.
Relationships: Pidge | Katie Holt/Shiro
Kudos: 3





	1. The Letter That Changed My Life

My room feels like it's the only place I can get some peace. My mom and dad are fighting downstairs. Again. It feels like that's all they ever do. Sam and Colleen Holt used to be a happy couple, laughing and talking all the time. How I long for those sounds. How I long for that time. When I could sit in the living room and think without hearing my mom yelling. To read in the kitchen without my dad's angry shouting. But what I miss most from that time is my brother, Matt. He left for boarding school not long after the fighting started. He was my only escape.   
The sound of silence makes me sit up from my bed, where I was laying a moment before. Silence is so unusual in this house. I feel my stomach fill with dread. Something must be wrong.  
I hop out of bed and move towards the doorway, staying quiet. I'm careful not to let my purple dress catch on my desk. My door creaks open as I push against it. I hear sobbing from the living room. My trip down the stairs is long and cautious. I expect the sounds of shouting to come to me any moment. But they don't.  
When I get to the foot of the stairs I am surprised by the scene before me. My mom is crying on our cream colored couch. My father is next to her. He's hugging her and whispering in her ear. There's a piece of paper on the glass coffee table. I walk over and pick it up.

Mr. and Mrs. Holt,  
We are regretful to give you the news that your son, Matthew Holt, has gone missing. He has not been to his classes. When his friends were questioned about his whereabouts, they were unsure as to where he may be. A search is underway to find your son.  
Sincerely, Alfor Altea. Principal.

I stare at the letter in my hands, reading the words over and over. I can't believe it. No. I won't believe it. My brother can't just go missing. Tears start to form in my eyes. I thrown the letter down. Matt can't just go missing. Someone would have had to help him. Someone would have had to take him. And I'm going to find out who. I run to his room and grab his acceptance letter off the billboard where he pinned it. I read the top. "Garrison Academy".  
Garrison Academy is an all boys school in Washington DC. Matt's been going there for 2 years now. He's never missed a day of class in his life. Well, not until now anyway.  
I walk back to my room and pull out my laptop. I scan the letter and get to work. I change the name of the school and a few key details. I replace Matt's name with mine and I change the address to somewhere in France. I replace the signature with that of Albus Dumbledore's, which I found on the Harry Potter Wikipedia page. Luckily for me, my parents never cared to read the books.  
I ran downstairs and put the letter on the counter, with today's mail. Acting like I was going to get a snack I called to my mom.   
"What's this letter on the counter?" I asked.  
My mother's head turned to look at me. She stood and walked over, wiping her eyes. Her hands trembled as she picked up the paper. She read.  
"Why, Katie... you've been accepted to a technology school in France. You're supposed to leave tomorrow. I'm... I'm really happy for you." She tried to smile. I smiled back.  
My laptop was still on my bed when I got upstairs with a piece of peanut buttered toast. I love peanut butter, and peanut butter cookies, but not actually peanuts. They're too dry.  
I got on my computer and started typing. I got into the Garrison Academy website. After getting through several firewalls, I finally made it to the attendance list. I needed a name to go by while there. Katie is a girl's name and Holt will tie my to Matt. I type "Pidge Gunderson" onto the pick up list for tomorrow, as well as onto the attendance list. I was in. There's no getting out of it now.   
A picture of Matt sits on my dresser. Not only do I sound like a boy, but I need to look like a boy.  
I walk downstairs give my parents hugs. I told them that I was going to head out tonight. That I had a ride and it was someone I know. They seemed to understand. The conversation gave me enough time to get the scissor from the kitchen.   
Back in my bathroom I stare at myself in the mirror. My light brown hair is waist length. If I look close enough, I can see my contacts in my eyes. I have no doubt that Matt has shown other Garrison students photos of me. I'm gonna have to lose the contacts.  
Picking up the scissor, I take a deep breath. I begin to cut my hair. Long brown locks fall to the floor. I am left with a haircut that ends above my shoulders. Next are the contacts. I take them out. My circular glasses lay in the medicine cabinet. I take them out and put them on. Welcome to the world, Pidge Gunderson. Goodbye for now, Katie Holt.


	2. My Moody Roommate

The 8 hour bus ride to Garrison Academy was uneventful.

The school tall. 2 stories at least. It was made out of silver metal and blue stone. The domed glass ceiling shone in the sun. Around me, the other new students stared at the building. I don't have time to look at the scenery. I'm here to find my brother.

Despite being given a map of the school I am lost as fuck. All the hallways look the same. I'm supposed to find the Voltron Wing, where my dorm is, but I feel like I'm going in circles. Every direction I get seems to bring me back to where I began. A guy with a black mullet and a red jacket shoved past me, nearly knocking me to the floor. He had red headphones on. I quickly regained my balance.

"Excuse me?" I asked, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Hm?" He took off his headphones. I decided to let it slide, I'm in desperate need of directions.

"Do you think you can help me find my room? Like, not just point me in the direction but actually show me where it is? Every time I tried just asking for directions I ended up back here. I understand that you're probably very busy but I re-"

"If I help you, will you shut up?" He interrupts.

I nod and hand him my papers. He takes them and reads. His expressionless face suddenly looks slightly confused.

"Is there something wrong with my papers?" I ask.

"No."

"Then what is it?"

He held up his key. "We're roommates? I'll show you the way-" he read the name at the top of the paper. "-Pidge Gunderson."

"Thanks."

We start walking. Most of the students here seem to ignore the guy with the mullet. He didn't care, or if he did, he didn't show it. We turned down a path with a multi-colored lion sign above it. The hall was lined with doors. The guy kept glancing at me as we approached our room.

"Why do you keep looking at me?" I asked as he stopped in front of a door.

"You just seem familiar." He said, pulling a key out of his pocket and unlocking the door.

The door opened to reveal a room. There was a table in the center of the room. A wardrobe stood against the wall. There were two beds, one in each corner, and two desks pushed against them. One side of the room had red walls, there were posters and pictures on the walls. The bedspread on that side of the room was black.

The other side of the room was painted green. There was a solar system hanging from the ceiling. Glow in the dark stars were all over the ceiling and walls. A map of stars hangs above the bed. The bedspread is blue with green stars and planets.

"Sorry if you don't like the decorations. You can change them if you want." Keith said, sitting on the black bed.

"They're perfect." I told him, sitting on the other.

"If you're here, I guess Matt really isn't coming back." Keith sighed and laid back.

Matt? As in my brother? Was this his room? These certainly look like decorations he'd like.

"Matt?" I ask, putting on a clueless expression.

"Yeah. He was my old roommate. He stopped showing up. At first, I thought he may have found a boyfriend or something and was staying the night with him. But then he didn't show up. I guess they're finally moving on." Keith looked at me. "You know, you look just like him. I thought you were him when you tapped on my shoulder."

"That's interesting. I'm sorry about your friend." I told him.

"We all are." He said, putting on his headphones.

I can't believe this. This is Matt's room. This is my brother's room. He must have left some clues here. He had to have. And if he did, I will find it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for any grammar or spelling errors. I wrote this years ago and haven't read it since.


	3. I Met My Brother's Friends... and They Hate Me

Keith and I sat in the room for about an hour without saying a word. I was reading a comic book and he was listening to music. My back was to the door because I was leaning against the footboard of my bed. Although the book was open on my lap, my mind kept drifting away from it. If I had trouble focusing on this, how hard would it be to focus on schoolwork? There's a knock on the door, then it opens.   
"Hey Keith were gonna head out to ge- OH MY GOD MATT'S BACK!" the voice starts casual then turns into a yell. I turn around and the guy who was talking is out of the doorway before either of us can correct him. We hear him banging on doors and yelling about Matt. Boy, are these guys going to be disappointed.  
I stand up. Keith does the same. We both walk into the hallway. Three boys are standing there.  
One is wearing a blue shirt and jeans. He has short, brown hair and light brown skin. His eyes are dark blue and he is rather skinny. The guy who had opened the door is next to him. This guy is rather large, with dark skin, black hair and brown eyes. He's wearing a yellow shirt, cargo pants, and an orange bandana. The last guy catches my attention. He is tall and muscular. His hair is short and black except for his white bangs. He wears an outfit made entirely of black. There's a scar across his nose.  
"Matt?" The large boy says. All I can do is shake my heads. No matter how hard I try, I am not my brother.  
"This is Pidge Gunderson. He's new here. The supervisors gave him Matt's spot." Keith tells the boys that I can only assume are his friends. Matt's friends.  
The three boys look crushed, especially the one wearing black. I don't blame them, they thought their friend was back. I'd've been crushed too if I were in that situation.  
"Pidge, this is Lance, Hunk, and Shiro. They're friends of mine." Keith explains to me. I wave at them. The only reply I get is a nod from Shiro.  
"Why do you look so much like him?" Hunk asks.  
"What?" The question startles me.  
"Why do you look so much like Matt?"   
"Oh, uh, I don't know. Coincidence?"   
Lance walks closer to me. He peers down at me. His expression is cold and hateful. "Don't think that just because you look like Matt means you can replace him, because you can't."   
He pushed me down.Shiro nods, Hunk is still.  
"I would never try to replace him!" I exclaim.  
Shiro looks at the door to my room. "Looks like you already have."  
Lance steps over me and walks away. The others, including Keith, follow. I am left alone in the hallway. How could Matt be friends with these people? They were so mean. Maybe they were nicer to Matt. But they aren't nice to me. At all.  
I just sit here, replaying what just happened in my head. The sound of footsteps is behind me and I look to see who it is. It's a man with orange hair and a mustache. He is wearing blue athletic clothes.   
"Are you alright?" He asks.  
"Yes sir." I say.  
"My names Coran. I teach PE here. Are you new?" He questions.  
"Yes sir." I repeat. "My name is Ka- Pidge. Pidge Gunderson." That was close.  
"It's nice to meet you." Coran tells me, offering a hand. I take it and he pulls me up. I nod. "Why were you sitting in the middle of the hallway?"  
"I met my roommate and his friends. They hate me. They said I looked like someone named Matt. One of them pushed me down. I didn't feel like standing up." I explain.  
"I can see some resemblance. Are you related?" He asks. I shake my head, lying. "I had a feeling."   
I smile a little.  
Coran checked the time. "Well, it's just about dinner time. Would you like to join me?"  
I nod and we start walking. Keith and his friends may not like me, but at least I made a friend. Sure, he may be teacher. But it's better than nothing.


	4. Partners... yay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pidge is assigned a partner in class. Boy is she thrilled.

It's been about a week since I arrived at Garrison Academy. My "relationship" with Matt's friends hasn't improved. I found out that Matt and Shiro had been extremely close. I remember when he came over one time. Before he died his bangs. He went by Takashi back then. According to Keith, Matt gave him the nickname Shiro.   
I miss Matt more than anything. I need to find him, right away. But I'm already getting distracted. I'm doing work meant for people 2 years older than me. Shiro, Lance, and Hunk push me around everyday. Yesterday they stuffed me in a locker. Keith won't join in, but he won't stop it either. He just sits and watches. I just can't deal with it all.   
I look down at the test in front of me. I've been sitting here for 20 minutes and I haven't wrote a thing. I quickly start the test.  
1) Who was the leader of the Nazis? "Adolf Hitler"  
2) When was the bombing of Pearl Harbor? "December 7, 1941"  
3) What was the biggest concentration camp? "Auschwitz"  
4) Who was the leader of Free French? "Charles de Gaulle"  
5) Who were the Axis Powers? "Germany, Italy and Japan"  
The bell rings and students around me start packing up. I look down at my half finished test and sigh. I write my name on the top and hang it in. When I walk out of the classroom I'm immediately met by Lance and Hunk.   
"Please don't start with me. Not today." I pleaded. Lance just smirks and pushes me down. Keith looks up from his locker a few feet away. He walks over.   
"Alright you two. That's enough. This has gone on for far too long and it needs to stop." Keith defends. He's defending me.   
"What are you talking about?" Lance asks, crossing his arms.   
Keith pulls me up and behind him, placing himself between me and Lance.   
"Look, I miss Matt too. We all do. And I'm not happy about him being gone. But that doesn't mean you have to take it out on Pidge. I know for sure that Matt wouldn't want that. So can you please give the kid a break? Look at him. He's terrified of you." Keith is doing something I didn't expect, and I'm extremely grateful for it.   
Lance looks down. He stays like that for a long time. "Pidge, I'm sorry. I guess, well, I guess I was mad that you replaced Matt. I guess I decided to take it out on you." He looks at me. I'm still hiding behind Keith. "Is there any way you can forgive me?"  
I nod. I understand. For all I know, I may have done the same thing if I were in his shoes. But this doesn't mean we're friends. He still scares me too much.   
The bell rings again. Lance and Hunk leave down one of the halls. Keith walks me to my next class. We stop in front of the door. "Look, if anyone gives you any more trouble, tell me. No one's hurting my roommate. From now on, I'll be there. I promise."  
I smile. "Thank you."   
Keith nods and walks off. He puts on his headphones as he turns a corner. I let out a sigh. I can't believe he stood up for me. I turn to walk into the classroom and run straight into someone's back. I fall and look up. It's Shiro. I ran into Shiro. He turned and looked around, but didn't see me. Thank god.  
I get up and hurry to my seat, looking down. This isn't new, so it doesn't draw attention. My seat is in the back and I sit down quickly. Everyone in the classroom gets seated.   
"Good morning class." Our technology teacher chimed. "Today we will be splitting into groups and beginning our projects. You will be making a computer program of your own design. I will be pairing everyone into groups."  
Oh great, I don't get a choice. It's not that I don't like everyone, but I'd rather work on the project alone. Adding a partner is just one too many variables for me. Also, there's the possibility we won't be able to agree on anything. I can't work with someone I can't agree with. It would be crazy to even try.  
The teacher began reading. "Zarkon and Sendak."   
Two jocks, both in purple jacket to match their purple skin, look at each over. They play for the Galra wing of the school.  
"Slav and Ulaz."  
A jock with purple skin and a purple jacket, Ulaz, looks at a multiarmed green nerd, Slav. Slav looks absolutely terrified.   
"Shiro and Pidge."   
I see Shiro look at me, and I look down. Of all people, why Shiro. I would love to be literally anyone else right now. Shiro and his friends have made the past week of my life absolute hell. Now the teacher has paired me with him on a project I would be fine with doing under any other circumstances.   
"Please get with your partners and begin." The teacher announces after reading the last pair of names.  
Shiro gets up and walks over to my desk. "Um... hi." Is he smiling?


	5. Friends Isn't the Word I'm Looking For

"Hi." I mutter quietly, brushing my hair out of my face. Shiro sits down at the desk in front of me and turns around in his chair. I pull out my laptop, searching for a distraction.   
"What are you thinking about for the project?" He asks me.  
"Like you actually care what I think." I spit at him as I begin typing. Sure I have ideas, but if I think he actually cares then I'm dreaming.  
"What are you talking about? Of course I care about what you've got to say. It's a partner project." He explains.  
I sigh. "What if we made an app that... I don't know... creates some kind of game for the students to play? The points would be scored through the different dorms. Of course, the dorms like ours would be at a disadvantage due to the number of people, but it's a pretty basic idea. Of course, if you have anything better-"  
"No. That's a great idea. Let's do it." Shiro interrupts.  
"Seriously?" I ask, not sure I heard him right.  
"Of course. How should we go about doing it?" Shiro smiles. Like, genuinely smiles at me.  
"Well, there needs to be some kind of starting menu. That's where we can display the points. Leaderboards can be displayed below the dorm scores so students can see who is earning the most points. And multiple servers would be wise, those would keep the game from crashing. The game should be... conquering an online universe. There can be solar systems that are levels. Each dorm can have their own symbol. The objective of the game can be to make all the planets in the universe turn your color." When I finish, I'm out of breath. That entire idea came out of nowhere.  
"That's genius." Shiro compliments me. I almost smile. Almost. I still don't trust him.  
I open a program on my laptop. "Let's get to work."  
After class, I feel lighter than I've felt since I got here. Shiro was actually nice to me. We talked while working. I can't remember what we talked about, but it was fun and light hearted. It all feels like a blurr. Or a dream. None of it feels real.   
Next is lunch, and it's time for the next battle to begin. I never look forward to sitting alone, but it's become an everyday thing for me. Today the lunch room is as busy as ever. The line was nearly out the door. I took my place in the back. For a school with only 50 kids, the line always seemed super long. I think it's because the staff eats here too, so they're in line with the students.   
The wait for lunch is a good 15 minutes. The entire time I am absolutely bored out of my mind. It would be easier if I had some kind of distraction. If I had friends. If I had Matt. Matt... the name sounds strange in my head. I haven't really thought about Matt in what feels like forever. How can my purpose, the one reason I'm here, suddenly become second place on my agenda. I need to get my head back in the game. How could I have been so stupid, so careless? How could I just go through the motions and forget the sole reason that I'm here. The sole reason I'm putting up with this hell hole.  
"Next!" The shrill words break through my thoughts like a knife. It's the lunch lady is staring at me. I quickly get a tray and continue on down the line. Today's lunch is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, milk, and a cookie. I pay for my food and sit down at my usual table.  
A few minutes of lonely eating go by when someone sits down beside me. It's Keith. He's joined by Lance. I get up to move, thinking I accidentally sat down at the wrong table, but Keith grabbed my arm.  
"Is it ok if we sit with you?" He asks me.   
I nod and sit down again. Lance looks like he's being forced to sit here. He probably is. After a few more minutes Hunk and Shiro walk over. Hunk gives Keith a questioning and unsure look and sits next to Lance. Shiro sits next to me and smiles. I'm just incredibly confused. Why are they sitting with me. Why are they being nice all of a sudden.   
I look around for some kind of answer. Coran passes and winks at me.


	6. Lance Has a Secret Boyfriend?

"Where should we start?" Shiro asks.   
I'm in his room, sitting on his bed. Almost everything in the room is black. Except for the walls. The walls are white, and look as if they've never been touched. Shiro is sitting in front of me, his computer in his lap.   
"We should start with setting up the start menu. That way we have something to go off of." I tell him. "I've been thinking about the colors we should use."  
"What do you mean?" Shiro asks me.  
"Well, the objective of the game is to conquer the universe, right?" I don't wait for an answer. "We'll need some way to show which plants have been conquered. So why not have the planets color coded to the team?"  
"That's a pretty good idea. What colors are you thinking about?" Shiro types something, but he glances at me.  
"Well, purple for the Galra wing. Blue for Voltron. White for Altea. Green for Earth. Pink for Aris." I explain, counting on my fingers to make sure I didn't miss one.  
"Alright, well, let's get to work." Shiro smiles and starts typing. I follow his lead and pretty soon, our program is coming to life. Slowly but surely, planets start to appear and our universe begins to come to life. It's exactly how I imagined. The leader menu will separate players into servers. From there they play.   
It's 11 o'clock when we decide to call it a night. I'm beat and all I can think about is my bed. I close my laptop.  
"I'm gonna head back to my dorm. Night, Shiro." I tell the boy, standing up.  
"Night." He says, closing his own laptop.   
I walk out. From Lance's room I heard movement and some loud bangs. Hunk is lying on the floor outside the door. I walk over to him.  
"What's up?" I ask. "Why are you sleeping out here?"  
"Lance has a secret boyfriend. They won't go anywhere else and they won't shut up. I figured I'd, you know, spend the night out here so I could actually sleep."  
"Smart." I comment, readjusting my laptop under my arm. "How about you stay in my dorm tonight. I'm sure Keith won't mind. He usually just lays there with his headphones in. I doubt he'd notice you're even there."  
"Really?" Hunk asks. I nod. "Thanks."  
We walk into the room I share with Keith. My dark haired roommate isn't in there, but I don't care. I grab some blankets and pillows out of the closet and set them on the floor for Hunk. I turn and see him staring at my decorations. Matt's decorations.  
"Were the two of you close?" I ask as I start to create a bed for Hunk.  
"What?" He answers mindlessly.  
"You and Matt. Were you close?" I ask again, afraid I'm crossing a line.  
"Not really. Not compared to the others anyways. We were buddies when it came to engineering and stuff like that. He was closest to Shiro. They were practically brothers. Shiro took the disappearance the hardest. When we were all upset, I felt like I was doing something wrong. I felt like I didn't deserve to be sad." Hunk looked down.  
"It's okay to feel sad that Matt's gone." I reassure him, "No matter how close you were you were still friends. You still meant something to each other."  
"You think so?" He asks quietly.  
"I know so." I answer, sitting on my bed.  
Hunk lays on the makeshift bed and within minutes he's fast asleep. I pull out my journal and begin to write. It;s been awhile since I've done this. I write about Keith. I write about the bullying I put up with from the other boys. I write about Coran. I write about Matt. My heart starts to ache. My brother is out there somewhere. Alive or dead. He's out there. And I don't know where.  
My thoughts are interrupted by Keith walking in. His hair is a mess and his clothes are ruffled. He has an almost dazed look on his face.  
"What happened to you? Attacked by a rhino?" I tease playfully.  
"Something like that..." He mutters. Hunk's sleeping form catches his eye. "Why is Hunk on the floor."   
"Lance was having a makeout session or something." I inform him.  
His cheeks almost turn red. Keith walks into the bathroom quickly and shuts the door. He doesn't come out after a few minutes. Was Keith the guy with Lance earlier tonight?


End file.
